Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites secreted by a variety of fungi, often produced in cereal grains as well as forages before, during and after harvest. Forages and cereals naturally come into contact with fungal spores. The fungal contamination of plants and the bio-synthesis of toxins depend on the state of health of the plant before harvest, meteorological conditions, harvesting techniques, delays and hydrothermal conditions before stabilization for conservation and feed processing. Depending on the fungus, fungal growth is controlled by a number of physico-chemical parameters including the amount of free water (aw), temperature, presence of oxygen, nature of the substrate, and pH conditions. Mycotoxins proliferate pre-harvest as well as post-harvest in storage.
Some fungi produce toxins only at specific levels of moisture, water availability, temperature or oxygen. The effects of mycotoxins vary greatly in their severity. Some mycotoxins are lethal, some cause identifiable diseases or health problems, some weaken the immune system without producing symptoms specific to that mycotoxin, some act as allergens or irritants, and some have no known effect on animals or humans. According to recent United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports, approximately 25% of the world's grain supply is contaminated with mycotoxins. Mycotoxin contamination has a negative economic impact on food and feed producers, particularly grain and animal producers.
Mycotoxins can appear in the food chain as a result of fungal infection of plant products (e.g., forage, grain, plant protein, processed grain by-products, roughage and molasses products), and can either be eaten directly by humans, or introduced by contaminated grains, livestock or other animal feedstuff(s). Mycotoxins greatly resist decomposition during digestion so they remain in the food chain in edible products (e.g., meat, fish, eggs and dairy products) or under the form of metabolites of the parent toxin ingested. Temperature treatments such as cooking and freezing are not adequate methods of decreasing the prevalence of mycotoxins. Thus, there exists a need for compositions and/or methods for reducing the detrimental effects and/or eliminating mycotoxin occurrence in feed and/or food chains.
Aflatoxins are members of the mycotoxin family. These toxins are produced by moulds of the Aspergillus sp. such as Aspergillus flavus or A. Parasiticus that contaminate a variety of feed and food materials and that can ultimately transfer in their native form or has metabolites in animal by-products such as milk, eggs or potentially meat. Aflatoxins represent a significant health risk due to their high toxicity and carcinogenicity and regulatory levels are strictly enforcing their acceptable concentration in animal feeds and human food.